The computer industry is a very competitive and rapidly changing industry. In order for a computer manufacturer to be successful, it must be able to continuously introduce new products to the market at a competitive cost.
In the design and manufacture of new computer systems, particularly of the personal computer ("PC") type, there is great pressure to efficiently utilize the space or volume within existing computer chassis, i.e., to maintain the form factor of an existing chassis. This permits the accommodation of a broad range of electronics and additional features within a personal computer without the increased expense of designing, tooling and producing a new computer chassis for each computer system improvement.
An example of a design effort to expand the functions of a personal computer is the PC/TV convergence device. The PC/TV convergence device is a computer system having video/television capability converged therein, so that one computer system may be used as a computer and as a television/video set.
Stated another way, PC/TV convergence device is a fully functional computer which also emulates a television, providing TV viewing (via broadcast, cable, Digital Satellite, or other broadcast media) and personal computing functionality. This convergence of computer and television provides a user with combined access to both television program information and computer functionalities.
Typically, a PC/TV convergence device consists of a fully functional computer including fax/modems, CD-ROM or DVD players, and media storage devices such as hard drives and floppy drives. The computer is interfaced with a video monitor, often a big screen television, with the television's NTSC interlaced signal being converted to a scan VGA signal or the computer's scan VGA signal being converted to an NTSC interlaced signal. Because the PC/TV convergence device is controlled by the computer's operating system, the PC/TV convergence device can, among other things, display PC applications and TV programs on a single monitor. The convergence of the personal computer and the television into a single device also permits the utilization of the communications bandwidth, mass storage and graphics of the computer to deliver, store and display applications during a traditional television viewing environment. The PC/TV convergence device also changes a typical television experience from just a passive viewing device to a user interactive device.
One of the problems encountered with increasing the functionalities of the computer system, such as with a PC/TV convergence device, is that the computer manufacture has to increase the number, types and shapes of external connections available on each computer system to accommodate for the added functionality. Because each external connector requires a corresponding access opening in the computer chassis, there is limited connector panel space on existing standard PC chassis for many of the new computer system connector requirements.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a computer system that includes a chassis with an assembly that can handle multiple input/outputs for use in a broad range of computer systems and yet maintain the chassis form factor to keep production costs at a minimum.